Ben Kennedy (Australian rules footballer)

Ben Kennedy
Kennedy at training in November 2015
Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Kennedy
Date of birth	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 22)
Original team(s)	Glenelg, (SANFL)
Draft	No. 19, 2012 national draft
Debut	Round 6, 2013, Collingwood vs. St Kilda, at MCG
Height / weight	175 cm / 78 kg
Position(s)	Forward / Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Melbourne
Number	35
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2013–2015	Collingwood	25 (15)
2016–	Melbourne	15 (13)
Total		40 (28)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.

Ben Kennedy (born 3 March 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A small forward, 1.75 metres (5.7 ft) tall and weighing 78 kilograms (172 lb), Kennedy is able to contribute as a crumbing forward and is also capable of moving into the midfield. He played top-level football from a young age by representing South Australia from fifteen years of age, including as a bottom aged player in the 2011 AFL Under 18 Championships, and playing in Glenelg's senior side in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) at seventeen. His junior achievements included two-time selection in the under 18 All-Australian side, a SANFL star search nomination, and selection in the South Australian under 18 team of the decade. He was recruited by the Collingwood Football Club with the nineteenth selection in the 2012 AFL draft and he made his debut in the 2013 season. He played three seasons with Collingwood for a total of twenty-five matches before he was traded to Melbourne during the 2015 trade period.

Kennedy played his junior career with the Brighton Bombers before moving to the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL); he attended Sacred Heart College. He received state honours by representing South Australia in the 2010 under 16 championships and he was their leading goalkicker with ten goals from three matches. He made his SANFL debut for Glenelg at seventeen years of age in the opening round match in 2011 against the Sturt Football Club at Glenelg Oval. He played fifteen matches for Glenelg in his debut season, kicking twelve goals and he was named Glenelg's best player in round eight and twenty-two against Sturt and Port Adelaide respectively. He was named as the round eight Star Search nominee, which "recognises the talented youngsters making their mark in league ranks", where he recorded twenty-six disposals, five marks and four goals. He received mid-year state honours through selection for South Australia in the 2011 AFL Under 18 Championships as a bottom-aged player and his performances in the championships saw him rewarded with being named in the All-Australian team in the forward pocket.